I'm so sick of bank fees I could scream. I've been a
Wells Fargo
customer for over 10 years. It's way past time to switch banks.

NetBank is probably where I'll land. Interest
paid on checking, no fees for online bill pay, or any of the other
services I typically use. They live on the Internet, like I do. Seems
like a good match.

The straw that broke the camel's back was a $30 wire transfer fee. Wells
Fargo quoted me $20 over the phone, but would not do the transfer by
phone or fax. They insisted I show up in person at the bank. The local
branch manager charged me $30.

Thinking (hoping?) she was wrong, I sent an e-mail inquiry requesting an
adjustment if the branch was in error. Wells Fargo's reply sounded like
some of the television commercials I've seen recently:

I researched the $30.00 wire transfer fee charged to your
account…The fee for this type of wire is $20.00. Additionally,
there is a $10.00 fee if a store banker assists with sending the wire.

I'll probably be hit with a $30 research fee for being fool enough to
question the wire transfer fee.

Attempting to build upon our success last week, we ventured out
to the movies last night.

Based on a chart in the Friday paper indicating a thumbs up from all
reporting reviewers, we picked
Lost in Translation.

This movie sucked. If not for three cups of coffee, stretching dinner
out long enough to fill time before the 9:40 start, I would have slept
through it. If not for the fact that we were blocked into the center of
our row, we would have walked out.

Here's my recommendation. Wait until it's playing at the dollar movies,
give your dog a buck and send him to the show. That is, unless (a) you
like your dog; (b) you value a dollar.

The sun sets, now, before our evening ride ends. We finish in the soft
light of dusk, which, for me, was near complete darkness Monday and
Tuesday. I wear my prescription sunglasses when I ride. Removing them
is not an option — I'd just as well close my eyes.

With the sunglasses on, and the sun down over the western horizon,
the rabbits begin to look like bushes and the bushes begin to look like
rabbits. It's unsettling when the rabbits don't move as you approach
and it's downright unnerving when the bushes dart across the trail
in front of your wheel.

We're planning a trip to see our families next month. We'll take the
bikes with us and do a little daylight riding in the Arizona sun. We'll
have the opportunity to see some new wildlife, perhaps including
snow-birds, which, they tell us, drive automobiles and eat unsuspecting
cyclists for lunch.

Comcast HighSpeed Internet
default installation procedures are not safe. They leave unsuspecting users
susceptible to worms and viruses. In addition, there are
many accusations
that the Comcast install installs spyware on users computers.

The problem is a Catch-22. If you're running a Windows based system, you need
to apply security patches before you expose your computer to the Internet. But
the only reasonable way to get the security patches is to download them from the
Internet.

There is simple alternative to Comcast's default installation
instructions that has the benefit of an additional layer of security and
privacy. You don't need to install any software provided by Comcast.

If you are running Linux, or another unsupported OS, you can get
your Comcast HighSpeed Internet connection up and running without access
to a Windows based PC by following these instructions.

Do not connect your computer directly to the cable modem. Use a broadband router with NAT. Connect it between the computer and the cable modem.

Update your virus scanner and use it, or an online virus scanner to ensure your system is virus free.

On my Comcast connection, last week, I received over 14,000
Welchia
probes from over 700 different hosts. And that's just Welchia. There
are dozens of other threats raining down on my firewall all day every
day. Barely a minute passes, on average, without some kind of parasite
trying to determine whether or not I'm a vulnerable host and infecting
me.

A new Comcast users is likely to be a vulnerable to recent worms and
viruses. Even a brand new system is unlikely to come from the factory
with current security patches. Bundled virus scanners likely have out
of date virus signatures.

So, my advice to all Windows users is to first obtain a good broadband
router with NAT support. There are several broadband routers to choose
from. Among them are options from:

In addition to some added security, broadband routers with NAT allow you to
share your Internet connection with other computers in your household.

It is understandable that Comcast does not want the added variable of a
broadband router or firewall device between the PC and the cable modem;
it would complicate installation and troubleshooting. However, exposing
vulnerable computers to the kinds of worm and virus attacks we've seen
recently probably leads to just as much, if not more, trouble down the
road as infected computers chew up bandwidth, frustrated users overload
support centers, and systems have to be sanitized.

Last night, Jenny and I went to the movies for the first time in ages.
We saw Matchstick Men and loved it.

We've filled our summer with cycling and haven't turned the television on
for weeks, so we hadn't seen any advertisements, reviews or commentaries
except for the brief blurb in the newspaper describing the currently
playing movies while we made our selection. So, we had the pleasure of
seeing the movie without having seen all the highlights in a trailer.

Jenny and I made the ride to Rockford and back this evening. While we
were waiting in the left turn lane for the light on 32nd and Highway 27,
a cyclist pulled in behind us.

My plan was to time myself, as usual, on the big climb. So, when we
reached the bottom of the hill, I started the stop watch and charged up
the hill for all I was worth.

I waited for Jenny at the top. The cyclist that had pulled in behind us
at at the light came up the hill ahead of Jenny. He pulled to a stop
and complimented me on my climb. "You nailed that hill. You really
hammered it."

He wasn't far behind me. He was lean – not an ounce of fat on him.
He wasn't winded; obviously he had climbed the hill at a comfortable
pace. I asked where he was headed. "Freeman, or maybe Rockford if I
have time," he said. "I'm just visiting friends here. I haven't ridden
this way before.

Rockford and back is where we're headed, I told him.

I rode to Coeur d'Alene this morning, he said. "But I needed a few
more miles."

At that he pedaled away. Wow, I said to myself, when I'm in my
seventies, I want to be just like him – still riding and riding
strong. I was inspired.

In recent days, the most frequent Google
searches leading readers to my site seem to have come from people trying
to figure out how to stealth port 113 or their D-Link DI-604 Routers.

I wrote an article titled
Dropping IDENT requests causes e-mail delays
explaining why, in some cases, you may not want to stealth port 113.
The article does not explain how to stealth port 113, if that is what
you want. This article adds that information.

You may want to review the prior article, first, to determine
if that's what you really want to do. If so, the solution is quite
simple.

To stealth port 113 on D-Link DI-604 Router simply forward port 113 to an
unused IP address on your network using the technique described in the
D-Link TechSupport FAQ.

Some routers, such as the Netgear RP614 automatically stealth port 113.
If you experience delayed connections to outbound services like SMTP and
IRC, you may want to un-stealth port 113 so packets are refused instead
of dropped.

To un-stealth port 113 on Netgear RP614 (or many other routers),
forward port 113 to an active IP address on your network that responds
with a closed port. In my prior article, I forwarded port 113
to a network connected HP printer. For the RP614, see the port forwarding
instructions in the
reference guide.

In either case, you can use Steve Gibson's excellent
ShieldsUp!!
page to test the results of your configuration change.

On a cold September morning, just like this one, seven years ago, today,
I pulled on a cycling jacket, long fingered gloves, and headed to work.
I left a few minutes later than usual. My ride took me past Central
Valley High School where classes had started just a few days before.

A 16 year-old student, licensed just a few weeks prior, made a left turn
in front of me. I steered left and braked for all I was worth, first
trying to avoid an impact with the cab of his small, Toyota pickup that
would have sent me through the glass, then trying to avoid a crash all
together. I didn't make it. I impacted right at the back axle, went
airborne and landed on my back in the street on the other side.

The crash fractured both the radius and ulna of my left arm, sheering
off the ball joints at the wrist. It left scars on both arms where they
impacted the side of the truck and a deep bruise across my right leg
that took months to fade away. My arm was repaired with stainless steel
plates and screws. The crash destroyed my bicycle.

Seven years later, I'm back on the bike. I'm not riding as many miles
as I did then, but I'm enjoying every minute I ride. I'm hoping for a
less eventful ride to work this morning.

The days are getting shorter at the same time I'm getting more fit and
able to ride longer. I'm finding there are more miles to ride than
hours of daylight to ride them.

Jenny continues to get faster and stronger. This past weekend, we rode
nearly 100 miles together, much of it hilly. She stayed right with me.

In fact, she scared me. She was about 20 yards behind me as we
approached a stop light. The light turned green. I still had 50 or 60
yards to go. Knowing it is a very short light, I sprinted for all I was
worth to make it through.

Now, I'm no sprinter, but I cleared the intersection at my top speed.
When I was safely through, I turned to see if Jenny was coming through
or if she was stopped on the other side. She nearly ran over me! Not
only was she through, she was right on my wheel!

Speaking of top speed, we went to
Pig Out in the Park
this weekend. While we were there we caught
Top Speed
at the IMAX Theater. Watching Marlo Streb handle a mountain bike and
Marion Jones do the 100 meter was amazing. If you haven't seen it, do!